MuniMEC promotes cooperative governance and institutionalisation of the DDM
Klerksdorp - North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Gaoage Oageng Molapisi has underscored MuniMEC as a critical platform aimed at promoting cooperative governance, intergovernmental collaboration, coordinated policy implementation and institutionalisation of the District Development Model (DDM).
MEC Molapisi delivered the keynote address at the inaugural meeting held recently and attended by Executive Mayors, Mayors and Senior Managers across three spheres of government.
The MuniMEC, convened under the theme “Every Municipality Must Work”; brought together leadership from municipalities, oversight institutions, strategic partners and traditional authorities to reimagine local government and address systemic challenges, improve financial accountability and ensure service excellence.
According to MEC Molapisi the “MuniMEC session is more than a meeting – it is a collective recommitment to serve our people with integrity, urgency, and accountability. It marks a new chapter of renewed focus and determination to address non-compliance, infrastructure backlogs, fiscal instability, and the rollout of critical human settlement and sanitation programmes’’.
Amongst key issues discussed during the session was the persistent non-compliance with legislation governing the recruitment and selection of senior municipal managers, Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) expenditure per municipality, the importance of developing credible budgets and management of debt.
The session also highlighted underperformance of MIG by some municipalities and resolved that the affected municipalities must develop recovery plans.
MEC Molapisi also maintained that poor expenditure of infrastructure grants by municipalities is unacceptable.
“We have municipalities that do not spend on their grants funding, yet our communities are still without clean water, decent homes and access roads. This is not just unfortunate – it is intolerable. It is a betrayal of our people’s constitutional rights.
Appointments of Senior Managers against the guiding policies and regulations is a travesty of justice, it undermines professionalism and fuels governance instability. Municipalities must align with all prescribed regulations, or risk continued dysfunction and costly litigation”, concluded MEC Molapisi.
